Former Residence of Zou Taofen

　　No. 54, Lane 205, Chongqing South Road was the former residence of Zou Taofen, a renowned Chinese journalist, publisher, and political commentator in modern history. His original name was Zou Enrun, and "Zou Taofen" was the pen name he began using in 1927. "Tao" means to conceal one’s brilliance, while "Fen" means to strive tirelessly. He was a native of Yujiang, Jiangxi Province, and was born on November 5, 1895, in Yong’an, Fujian, into a declining landlord-bureaucrat family. In his youth, as his family’s financial situation worsened, his father hoped he would become a skilled engineer and sent him to Nanyang Public School in Shanghai (the predecessor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University). However, Zou Taofen loved literature and aspired to be a journalist. After the summer break in 1919, he resolutely transferred to the Arts Department of St. John’s University in Shanghai. After graduating from university in 1921, he joined the Chinese Vocational Education Association in Shanghai the following year as the head of the editorial department. He served as the editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine *Education and Vocation* and edited the “Vocational Education Series,” thus beginning his beloved career in journalism and publishing.

　　In 1930, Zou Taofen and his wife Shen Cuizhen managed to rent No. 54, Wan Yi Fang, Rue Lepelletier (now part of the French Concession), which is the current site of the residence, as their home. This residence is a two-story, row-style house with a modern touch. It has a brick-concrete structure, with a concrete textured exterior wall, and a two-meter-high wall surrounding the front yard. Entering the wall leads to a small courtyard, then to the living room that also served as the dining room. The space is furnished with sofas covered in blue shirley cloth, arranged around a small round table with four armchairs. On the walls are photos of Zou Taofen’s parents, an embroidered masterpiece by Shen Cuizhen, and several oil paintings depicting autumn and winter scenes, giving the whole room a simple yet elegant feel. The second floor was the bedroom of the Zou couple. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is a small balcony enclosed by iron railings. The interior features regular wooden flooring, with a large bed on one side and a wardrobe and dressing table on the other. In the southwest corner, there is a small round table and two chairs, and the walls are adorned with several family life photos. The back attic room served as Zou Taofen’s study, with a desk by the window and two bookshelves filled with foreign-language books along the wall. In this less than seven-square-meter room, Zou Taofen wrote numerous incisive essays criticizing the dark rule of the Kuomintang.

　　After the September 18th Incident, Zou Taofen devoted himself entirely to the anti-Japanese salvation movement in Shanghai. On July 15, 1936, he, along with Shen Junru, Tao Xingzhi, and others, co-signed and published an open letter titled “Several Fundamental Conditions and Minimum Requirements for National Unity in Resistance,” clearly expressing agreement and support for the viewpoints and propositions of the anti-Japanese united front put forward by the Chinese Communist Party. Mao Zedong responded with an open letter, greatly inspiring the anti-Japanese spirit of the people nationwide.

　　On November 22, 1936, in order to extinguish the flames of domestic resistance against Japan, the Kuomintang arrested seven leaders of the Salvation Association, including Shen Junru and Zou Taofen, who were leading the anti-Japanese salvation movement, in Shanghai. On December 4, these seven individuals were transferred to Suzhou for detention and tried by the Jiangsu High Court, leading to the “Seven Gentlemen Incident.” This move was strongly opposed by people across the country, including notable public figures such as Soong Ching-ling and He Xiangning. During the eight months in prison, Zou Taofen and others remained steadfast and unyielding, engaging in direct confrontations with the judges. On June 13, 1937, 5,000 Shanghai citizens held a rally demanding that the authorities declare the “Seven Gentlemen” not guilty. Under the resolute struggle of the people nationwide, the Kuomintang government was forced to release the “Seven Gentlemen” on July 31.

　　After his release from prison, Zou Taofen traveled to Chongqing, Hankou, and Hong Kong to continue his patriotic and salvation work. In 1943, due to a brain tumor, he secretly returned to Shanghai for medical treatment but unfortunately passed away at Shanghai Hospital (now the Shanghai Second People’s Hospital) in 1944 at the age of 49.

　　After Zou Taofen’s death, the Party Central Committee spoke highly of him. In a message of condolence to his family on September 28, 1944, the Party Central Committee stated: “For over twenty years, Mr. Zou Taofen strove tirelessly for the national salvation movement, for democratic politics, and for the cultural cause. Even in prison, he never wavered in his principles. Until his last breath, he remained deeply concerned for the motherland and her people. His spirit will live on forever, and his writings will be immortal.”

　　In 1956, the Shanghai Municipal Government funded the restoration of Zou Taofen’s former residence and established the Zou Taofen Memorial Hall next door at No. 53. The memorial hall consists of two parts: Zou Taofen’s former residence and an exhibition on his life and achievements. The residence remains in its original state as it was when the Zou family lived there in the 1930s. The exhibition is divided into eight sections introducing the revolutionary life of Comrade Zou Taofen. Currently, Zou Taofen’s former residence has been listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in Shanghai. The memorial hall, including the residence, is also a “Youth Education Base” in Shanghai and has been recommended by the Shanghai Tourism Bureau as a tourist attraction.

　　Zou Taofen (1895～1944)　　Zou Taofen (November 5, 1895 – July 24, 1944), originally named Enrun, with the childhood name Yingshu, also used the name Li Jinqing. He was from Shatang Village, Dutou Village Committee, Huangxi Township, Wangjiang County. In 1922, he began working in education and editing at the Chinese Vocational Education Association founded by Huang Yanpei and others, holding the position of department head. In 1926, he took over as editor-in-chief of *Life Weekly*, where he advocated for justice with his sharp pen and criticized dark forces. After the September 18th Incident, Zou Taofen firmly opposed the Kuomintang government’s policy of non-resistance. The *Life Weekly* he edited in Shanghai aimed fundamentally at opposing civil war and uniting to resist enemies and humiliation, becoming a key domestic media outlet for the anti-Japanese salvation movement... More+